Honey Bees and Petty Thieves
by Digger McFoogle
Summary: The Turks, 3 years before meteor. Tseng’s Crazy, Reno’s Lazy and Elena’s a secretary whose life is about to change forever. Rude’s POV. UPDATED 19206
1. It aint whut ya do

**Honey Bees and Petty Thieves**

**Synopsis: The Turks, 3 years before meteor. Tseng's Crazy, Reno's Lazy and Elena's a secretary whose life is about to change forever. Rude's POV**

Prologue: It aint whut ya do…

Don't get me wrong. My job's O.K. Shinra… well, they keep me well in pocket and all in all don't treat you bad if you're careful. But still, it's pushing the limits when they ask you to kill one of your best friends.

I asked Tseng to do it. He said no, which wasn't exactly a surprise to me. As far as I know, he hasn't killed since he was first instated as head of the Turks. His last kill was… that Ancient, I forget her name. After that he never got blood on his hands again. I asked Reno next. He's usually up for some slaughter, but he said today he was busy. Busy reads fucking women and drinking hard liquor. Sounds like a fair deal to me. Unfortunately, we only have three Turks in our ranks at the moment, so that left me with the job…

"So is this it, Rude? Am I really gonna die?"

I look over at the kid next to me as she quakes with fear. O.k., so she's not a kid, she's twenty-six… but hell, she looks like a twelve year old boy. "……..." When it doubt, say nothing. Do nothing. Follow orders. That was how I've been living for the past eight years.

"Jeez, Rude! Cant you give me one shred of support?" she counters, running her tiny hands though her short brown curls. Her size was the source of her nickname, "Incy-wincy Ianthe". "How did it come to this?" she asks me.

I haven't got an answer to that. Shinra told us she'd stolen from the gym where she worked… but even at Shinra you aren't killed for stealing a few paper clips. She must have done something big to get to this. But I cant think of that now… I have to start finding things I don't like about her. I always do that before a kill- find the most irritating qualities of the person so you focus on them as you pull the trigger. The first thing: The way she always says "_Jeez."_

"Jeez… we've come a long way, aint we, Carol?"

Second thing: That goddamn nickname she had for me. Carol. "It's Karel, Ianthe."

Rudolph Karel Mazola, to be exact. That nickname always irritated me. I'll be thinking of that when the time comes.

"So you're actually gonna start talking to me then?"

"…………"

"Fine. Be like that. I don't care, I'll be dead in a few minutes!"

"Don't talk like that, Ianthe. It's my job."

"…………."

Now it was her turn to be silent. Ianthe always knew my job came first. It was just too important. When you're a Turk, nothing else should matter to you… Tseng puts his job before the Flower Girl, despite how much he loves her. He told us that his old superior chose a woman over his job, and it cost him more than just his life. I stop the car at the end of the plate, checking my shoulder holster habitually as I exit. She follows, her freckled cheeks stained as she sobs her heart out. She should have been more careful at Shinra.

I check my gun as she paces back and forth. "You're really gonna do it, aint ya!"

"…………"

"C'mon, Rude! We're buddies right!" I can hear the desperation in her voice. "We been through everything together! I told you things that I… I aint never told no-one!" The third thing: Her grammar. I cant stand it. I raise my gun at her, causing her to wail through her tears. "I… just wish it was someone else, y'know? Like Tseng, that would have been fine… but why'd it have to be you?"

It hurts. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't. But when you've lost as much as me in the past, you don't care much for sentiments. Another death, that's all. But that still doesn't stop me from dropping my guard for a second… the second that give her an opportunity to floor me. A simple kick to the back of the knee, that's all it takes- a move I taught her, no less. I sweep up quickly, only to find my gun about ten feet away. Looks like this is going to turn into a boxing fight.

She's a good fighter, if lacking in power. But she more than makes up for that in speed. Three of her punches are thrown in one of mine, but one well placed hit from me round her jaw sends her sprawling. She gets straight back up, hardly able to stand from exhaustion and her injuries and runs back at me, hitting against my chest exhaustedly, finally collapsing against me in a mass of blood, sweat and tears. I hold on to her, her tiny frame looking ridiculous against my large. A moment of weakness, stroking her head like a child, then I pull away and hold her up effortlessly. "You went against Shinra, Ianthe."

"I know."

"Then you know I've got to-"

"Don't our friendship mean nothin', Rude?"

Damn her. Fourth point: She knows how to get to me. She knows me inside out… only Reno knows me better. I let her fall to the ground, and she lets out a little yelp. Then I walk to the car, not looking back. "Get out of town, Ianthe. Change your name. Just… stay safe, O.K?"

I start the ignition and begin to drive away, stealing a glance at her as she curls up on the ground. I let one go. That's not allowed. I'm weak, I'm pathetic, I….

I need a drink.

Usually, I drink after the kill as a way of forgetting I ever killed the poor fucker. Tonight I'll be drinking to forget that I couldn't even stay devoted to the one thing that I had left in my life. I betrayed Shinra. I was no better than her.

Shit.

My sister Tatiana always used to say "Friendship over everything." Now what had I gone and done? Betrayed her memory. Life was full of betrayals. Tatiana, Shinra, Ianthe…

I really need a drink.

My PHS catches my eye on the dashboard, so I grab it and dial the first number that comes to mind.

"Reno? We _need _to get another Turk trained…"

_AN: So that's the prologue. Don't worry, the rest will be pretty Elena/Rude heavy! But that's not to say Ianthe wont return… and watch out for Tifa too! Please review and tell me what you think?_


	2. Pretty Little things

1. Pretty little things

"Gyaa-haa-haa! So what are we going to do?"

Tseng got the meeting planned pretty quick, its gotta be said. So here we three sit in front of Heidegger, the walking mound of stench, fat and sweat himself. Our boss. Tseng spoke up "Sir, I suggest we hire some more staff. We are struggling to keep up with our jobs at the moment… and if one of us was to be… put out of action…"

"Gyaa-haa-haa! D'ya have any idea how small our budget is compared to how much we pay ya? Its impossible."

"May I suggest hiring on the basis of reserve?" I say before even thinking about it. "That way you don't have to pay them as much, but we still have backup in case one of us goes down." Reno just looks at me as if Mimmet Greens started growing from my head. Guess he's just not used to me talking so coherently. Well, it has been 48 hours since my last drink… got to be a record for me. "Gyaa-haa-haa! Great idea, Mr Molotov! Tseng, git some people interviewed. Gyaa-haa-haa"

If I have to hear that man's laugh one more time today I will kill him.

Reno notices my downward-turned mouth as Heidegger makes his exit and smiles lopsidedly at me. "That a boy, Rude! Full of good ideas! But I got one for you now: Why don't we split while Tseng here goes through potential drunkards?"

I smile. "Firstly, it's 'Whilst Tseng goes through potential drunkards'. Secondly that really _is _a great idea."

***

The Chocobo and Mog. The best goddamn bar on the plate. Also mine and Reno's local, as it happens. We live over the same sector- Plate 3- and meet here every day we're in town. Somehow you feel less like alcoholic shit when you're drinking with someone else. "The regular!" Reno exclaims, slapping the cute bartender Suki on the ass as she saunters away to bring us back our triple dose of absinthe mixers. She's one of his favourites, I know. But he'll never admit it. A guy like Reno's not allowed to have steady fucks- he's everybody's one night stand.

"So where were you when ya called yesterday?" he asks, already drinking from his hipflask as he waits for the Wutan beauty to return. "…out on a mission." I say honestly, downing the drink as soon as she lays it in front of me. "what was it?"

"You know the one…"

"Oh! You mean knockin' off that broad Rufus had a thing for? Don't see why myself. She wasn't that pretty and wasn't a great lay either…"

It didn't surprise me to learn she'd slept with Reno. Hell, every women and quite a few men had had that "pleasure". I'd be worried about catching a disease myself.

"You ever fuck her, Rude?"

"…………" I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer. Instead I drink the next of the three mixers, the sharp green acid burning my chest as it passes down… absinthe is my second favourite form of self-harm after tattoos.

I steal another look at Reno as he wistfully watches Suki work her magic with a group of young Shinra guards at the back of the room. I gotta admit, the girl's got talent with people. She beats Reno at his own game. "Hey Rude, d'ya think she'd make a good 'un?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean a Turk. You think she could do it?"

"Who knows?" I reply. it's a lot of effort for a woman in Reno's books. "Ask Tseng about it when we get back to HQ. Now drink up, you're still on your first mix."

He looks blankly at the rancid green liquid, then at Suki, then back again. "I'm gonna head off, buddy." he sighs, picking up his ragged jacket and heading to the exit. "Have your drinks on me!"

I stare at the drinks. I'm gonna have a rough time in the morning… but at the moment I couldn't care less. I think my next job looking after Dark Nation anyway. The bratty teen's spoilt panther. Great. I down the third glass. I don't like Rufus. I'm covering for Tseng whilst he finds potentials… Tseng's looked after the kid since birth, he's kind of like a surrogate son to him. Its nuts. Rufus doesn't need an extra father, he needs a muzzle.

I down the fourth. Everything's a lot less painful now. I look over at Suki as she counts her tips- easily five hundred gil from those guards. Smiling, I decide to make mental notes on the girl… something to do to take my mind from other things. Suki Seung. Wutan. Nineteen years old. True looker, charismatic and manipulative. However, she's young… Turks don't usually come that young with the exception of Tseng. I don't know. Maybe Wutans are better than the rest of us; they _are _trained for battle since they're young…

"Can I join you?"

I look up into deep black eyes like a hawks. "Sure, Suki."

She sits elegantly, smiling at the four empty shot glasses and two remaining ones. She runs a hand through her silky bobbed hair and smiles… a pearl smile, with diamond eyes. She's truly beautiful. Or maybe that's the absinthe talking. "Where'd your friend get to?"

"Reno?" That was a dumb question. Who else? "He's got business. Why do you want to know?"

I swear she blushes slightly. "oh just wondered, that's all" she sighs sweetly, rapping her long red nails against the stony table. "He doesn't usually leave any alcohol around!". She laughs. Damn, its like birdsong. We should definitely get her on the Turks.

"It was an emergency, Suki. He'll probably be back later. Listen, put all this on Reno's tab. Add one for you too." I down the last two as I stand to leave, the burn now settling into a pretty numb haze as I stagger to the door. The Chocobo and Mog. Best place on the Planet.

***

"Damn cat."

I hate Dark Nation. It's got me cornered and its growling less than pleasantly, causing my head to feel like it's about to blow up. Damn absinthe. Tseng told me there was a trick to dealing with D.N… but I cant for the life of me remember it. Damn.

I'm saved by the ring of my PHS, which for some reason scares the overgrown kitty away. I smile. Who'd have though it would be so simple. "Rude here."

"Rude? I'm holding a meeting ASAP. How soon can you get here?"

"It's a bit difficult, sir. I'm looking after Dark Nation, remember?"

"Ah yes… well, Rufus should be back in around an hour. Try and get here then."

"Yes sir."

Putting down the PHS I notice Dark Nation has returned with a small dog between its fangs. Scarlet's poodle.

I hate that cat.

***

"I've narrowed it down to three potentials. One will be assigned to each of us, and we'll train them up for six months. Then we shall return here and each candidate will be tested on his or her skills."

Tseng had really worked quickly. In 48 hours he'd narrowed thirty to three. I was genuinely impressed. I suppose that's what makes him the best.

"I'm going to give you a file on your candidate. Don't dispose of it; it will be useful in the future." He smiles slightly as he distributes the first file to Reno. The redhead grins and leaps from his seat. "Nice one, boss-man!" he cries, kissing the folder as he makes a hasty exit from the room. My guess is he got Suki and is running of to start her "training"…

I look down at the file Tseng just placed on the table in front of me. Elena Marshall. Junonian. Twenty-four years old. Currently working as… Scarlet Wynter's P.A, of all things… Strengths lie in computing and data handling. Untrained in fights, though experienced with Materia. So they hand me the techno-freak. Great.

"You'll meet your charge at 06.00 hours tomorrow" Tseng informs me, placing his own file neatly in his pristine black case. "From there I want you to start the training. You will be given free leave of a helicopter for the next six months; I want you to train her in every situation possible. That understood?"

"Sure So If I've got this Elena and Reno's obviously got Suki… who'd you choose?"

His lips purse for a moment. "Jude McLaren." he says quickly as he leaves, leaving me alone in the office. It makes sense, him choosing the only male… females tend to fall for him just that little too easily. Plus, he doesn't really like any women aside from _her_…

I stuff the file lazily into my bag and walk out, flicking off the light as I go. Elena Marshall. Could be fun.


	3. Lena Laney Elle

2. Lena Laney Elle

I stroll down to the Chocobo and Mog, sparking up a cigarette as I walk. I cant help but think back to when I was trained as a Turk. I was… twenty-three, a proud father and devoted husband, famous for talking complete bollocks and making drunken boasts. Well, one night I told a guy down in my local I knew all about Shinra's secret's and I could tell him things that would make his head spin… just turned out that guy was a certain Wutan Turk. A few days later I came home from work to find everything gone: My house was burned to the ground, my parents Elga and Josef were dead in the blaze… my little sister Tatiana had been raped and torn to shreds by bullets, my wife Magenta, Maggie… she'd been shot singly in the head, with my boy, my beautiful son Karloff in her arms. All because of my loose tongue.

I wandered alone around the slums for week not caring if I lived or died… you don't, as a rule, when you've lost everything. I begged for money, nothing but a lowly tramp. Then one day, someone throws me ten gil into my cup. I look up, and it's the same bastard that got my family killed. Someone I would later know as Tseng.

I threw a punch in his direction, and he threw one back, starting the toughest fight in my life. Tseng may be short, but the Wutan style of fighting is the best in the world. He was humouring me, I know that now; judging my prowess whilst fighting back enough to make it look convincing. Eventually he ended it all, flooring me with a limit break. I looked up into his cool, black eyes and he looked straight back into my hazel. Then he laughed and walked away, simply calling back "You should join us, Rudolph. We've got an eye on you."

I don't really know why I agreed to join Shinra. It seemed like the biggest betrayal possible at the time, and I suppose it was…and is. Yet still I went. I think Ianthe put it best when she gave her reasons for taking that job up in the gym- "Shinra destroyed everything. Corel, our industry, my sister Eleanor, all the people I ever knew… I needed to know what could have the power to do that. I was curious."

As was I.

I wonder why this Elena wants to be a Turk. Sure, Scarlet may not be the most pleasant of women to work for, but she pays well. My cigarette is burnt out; I drop it to the floor and light another one. A bad habit. One of many.

I enter the bar to be greeted with the silky singing voice of Cree Summer wafting out of the speakers. Another thing I love about this place. Great music. Sitting down, I glance around the proximity, trying to guess which one she could be.

My eyes settle on a woman sitting three tables down; long red hair tied neatly into a bun, horn-rimmed glasses and a book… "Mako-engineering: the story of industrial power"

Seems like I've found my Turk.

"Excuse me, sir?"

I look up to see a pretty young blonde smiling nervously at me, fiddling with a small ring on her thumb. "Sorry to bother you, but are you Rude?"

"Who wants to know?" I respond, itching to get away to my charge.

"I'm Elena Marshall."

***

We've been here for hours now, lapping up various drinks, some alcoholic and some not. She's pretty, _very _pretty. And she's not the geek I expected her to be. To be honest, after seeing the walking paradox that is Scarlet you'd have thought I would have let go of stereotypes. Who'd have thought that someone who seems like such a brainless bimbo could be one of the leading scientific minds after Dr Hojo.

Elena Marshall smiles at me nervously, sipping on her orange juice. I forcefully smile back (smiling isn't a usual hobby of mine), and ask. "So what makes you interested in joining us?"

She laughs slightly, putting her drink down and pulling a photograph out of her breast pocket showing a smiling family posing before a Junonian townhouse. "Well, you see that guy there? That's my dad, or rather was… anyway, he was a Turk years ago. Served under Vincent Valentine… he trained up Tseng!" I notice her eyes glaze over at his name… another devotee of 'The Wutan Brave', as some call him. She continues "Anyway… he always wanted a son to go into the same line of work, but he never got one… mother couldn't have any other children after me. He was really cold towards me, always saying that he wished I'd never been born, and that everything I did angered him… so I decided that I wanted to prove to him that I could live up to his legacy. Also, Scarlet was quite excited about the prospect of me being the first female Turk. She's like the sister I never had."

"So you two get along."

"She's a great lady… though maybe…"

"A little less than subtle?"

"You could say that!" she giggled, putting the picture away again. "So when do we start training?"

I finish off my drink and put on my jacket. "Next week. We'll be going up to Icicle Inn. Make your own way there, I want to test your resourcefulness. It is an important skill. When you get home you should have a uniform waiting, along with a new PHS with all the numbers you will need." stand and start to leave, before reconsidering… I turn back and shake the girl's hand. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Elena."

She shakes my hand firmly back. "Thank you, sir."

***

"My trainee Turk. She seems promising."

I took Reno to one of my favourite slum bars tonight. Seventh Heaven. Home of good drinks, good food, fun company… and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life, who unfortunately is out tonight.

Tifa Lockheart. She is… everything I love in a woman. Long brown hair, beautiful and soft, tied modestly back with a ribbon… long, slim legs, nicely built from her boxing training. Trained by the same trainer as me, as it happens. Her eyes are incredible; a beautiful mix of deepest brown and sparking red, and her breasts… lets not get started on those. I'm too drunk.

Reno's not listening. He's seen Tifa's young friend, Jessie, the relatively pretty yet shy daughter of one of Shinra's greatest engineers. He smiles broadly at her, and she smiles coyly back. Trust Reno to pull on a guys night out.

"Hey, Rude, looks like I'm gonna be busy tonight. Sorry man." Like he's sorry. I watch his waltz away, cheery as a chocobo, leaving me nursing a beer and waiting for a certain lady to come through those doors…

"Can I get y'another, Mr Rude?"

I look down and smile at the young girl. "Thank you, Marlene." Barret has to be the worst guardian ever. I swear, if Ianthe found out her niece was serving alcohol to a drabble of drug dealers, terrorists, murderers, gang leader and Turks, she'd have a fit… not that she can do anything about it now, of course. I don't even have a clue where she is.

"Here ya go, Mr Rude" The kid's too adorable for words. She hands me my drink and I gulp it down effortlessly. I need to get myself a woman.

I think again about Elena. Y'see, the girl would be really attractive if she had longer… and browner hair. I don't get this new fashion for short hair. What's wrong with being effeminate? I look over at Jessie. I thought she was a dead cert for me, but as always Reno's stepped in. it isn't always easy being second fiddle. Jessie… she's a cute one. Maybe not beautiful, but cute. She has this charming button nose that just makes you want to go up there and poke it…

"Marlene, go and see your Daddy"

I look up, straight at two enormous breasts. Tifa. "Hey, barkeep, you're back!" I manage to slur, looking up into her eyes and smiling. "Where you been? We missed you." I look at Reno. Surely enough he has magically lost interest in poor Jessie, and has gone over to try it on with Tifa. He doesn't stand a chance in hell.

As expected, Barret follows Tifa to the bar- he's possibly the only man I would not consider going against in a pub brawl. He's huge, taller than me… and that's no mean feat considering I'm six foot two. He's incredibly protective of Tifa; half of me wants to warn Reno, half of me just wants to watch as he gets beaten to a pulp… my evil side wins again. I sit myself down next to Jessie and wait for the action.

"Gosh… does your friend know what he's getting himself into?" she asks innocently, her eyes large and frightened. I smile slightly at her. She's just too adorable. "No… but I don't think it will hurt him to learn a lesson. Aren't you a bit pissed off that he just up and left you?"

"Not really. Tifa gets most things I want." I notice her looking pensively at Barret and Marlene. I know what she's talking about. Before Tifa and Barret met, him and Jess were pretty close. She gave up a top paying job in the space program to come down here and live with him, and now she was almost forgotten. Sad.

I'm interrupted in my thoughts by Reno being carried over Barret's shoulder kicking and scratching, before being deposited outside and passing out flat. I follow, throwing an apologetic look at Jessie and hoping she can read it through my shades. Reno thrown over my shoulder, I make my way back to the trains, hoping we're not too late to catch the last one. I think about Elena. For some reason I cant wait to see her again.


	4. Flowers and Candy

3. Flowers and Candy

"Why do you watch me so intently?"

I am in the slums again today, covering for Reno whilst he cavorts with Suki. I laughed when he told me the brief: Watching the Ancient, Aeris Gainsborough. Tseng doesn't like anyone else going near her… whenever we get orders regarding her he always tell us the same thing- "Don't touch her and don't dare tread on the flowers". His affection for her is nothing less than terrifying in truth. He is obsessed with her.

"…….…" I was told to watch her, not talk to her. I don't get these missions, truth be told. Why are we asked to follow the kid 24/7? I know she's special, but at the moment we've not received orders to bring her in… I don't question their decision though. Why should I? Its an order.

"Why didn't Tseng come? I haven't seen him for a while…" The girl knows her effect on him, I'm sure of it. She's not as sweet and innocent as he likes to think. "He's on a mission with Rufus" I reply honestly, still not moving from my earlier position at the entrance of the decaying chapel. "Not that its any of your business."

She laughs in saccharine tones and goes back to tending the flowers, preening them with such ease and delicacy I cannot believe… she irritates me immensely. Far too beautiful, not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but what annoys me is how she manipulates the men around her by acting so innocently… Reno was the first to notice it; how she would coyly lead Tseng on, playing on his love shamelessly for her own good. It's not fair, and it's driving Tseng insane.

"You know, you could lend me a hand, if you want." A shameless flutter of eyelashes catches my eye, and I go and sit at her side. She giggles in that strange little way of hers, her green eyes sparkling sweetly. Sickening. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Just put the flowers into the basket as I hand them to you, if that's not to much trouble." Her tone is so patronising. We sit in silence for a few minutes, her deft hands making quick work of the roses and lilies. I'm aching for something to interrupt the silence… _anything_…

Suddenly my PHS rings… I don't think I've ever been so happy to hear that shrill tone. "Rude here."

"_It's Reno. Looks like you just got yourself a new job!"_

"What do you mean Reno?"

__

"You're covering for me, President's orders. Ditch the bitch and get your ass down to HQ"

"Sure." I hung up, fighting the urge to beam as I left the kid without an explanation. Whatever then had in store for me had to be better than this.

***

I was wrong. This is infinitely worse. Seems I'm covering for Reno's turn guarding President Shinra as he goes down to the Honey Bee Inn. Sure, the Honey Bee Inn is usually fun, but not when you're standing outside Shinra's personal room listening to him jabbering on about some "Queen"… I didn't think he was in to Mukki.

I wait silently, watching as the more popular girls flit between customers… Deanna, Felice and Amora are the three best earners, and much loved by the Turks who are most probably the single reason for their incredible success… I smile slightly as Felice, my favourite, winks at me in the most seductive way imaginable. I need to get laid.

I stroll over to the fuck room, handing Reno's Deanna a hundred gil bill. "I'm a little busy at the moment, Rude-sama" she purrs, stuffing the note down her ample cleavage. "I'll send one of the new girls down to see to you." I don't care who she sends. I'm just bored.

I shut the door behind me, strip off and lay on the bed, waiting… seems almost mundane now. It; like a strange tradition in the Turks; you drink, you sleep with as many women as you can… you build yourself a reputation. Tseng is the untouchable icon of perfection, Reno is the ultimate bad-boy, and me? I guess I'm the silent warrior. "That's Rude" they say on the streets. "He might not say much, but the bastard sure can pack a punch." I wonder how it would change if a female was admitted into or ranks. I wonder how Elena could change things…

The door slowly slides open and I turn to see who I will be fucking this evening. I'm greeted by an impossibly lithe frame; toned and tiny at 4"11' with hardly any curves to talk about. Her skin is mottled with freckles that stretch over every inch of her body, accumulating mostly on her nose. She peers at me with strange violet eyes that widen suddenly as she recognises me… "Rude?!?"

"Ianthe! What the hell are you doing here!"

She averts her eyes, a faint blush spreading over the freckles. "Jeez, Rude! Can you put some clothes on?!"

I absently wrap the sheet around my middle, frowning slightly at the sight of shy, retiring Ianthe in a skimpy kinky outfit. "I could say the same to you!" I mutter irritated as she starts to pace. "Anyway, I don't see what your problem is" I add, suppressing a smile as she starts to bite her nails nervously. "You've seen it all before! You've given me full body massages during your stint at Shinra, remember?"

"Oh yeah!"

She's stopped pacing, and is now either crying or laughing, I cant tell. I stand, dwarfing her under my height. She looks up smiling. "This is weird."

"Yes it is. I thought I told you to be safe!"

"Jeez, Rude! I am safe! The Don looks after me."

Now that's an idea that sickens me. It's well known that in order to get into the Inn the girls had to sleep with Don Corneo, the fifty-something ever-horny proprietor. She notices my frown and scowls. "He's not that bad, you know? He treats us good."

"I wasn't worried that" I lie. "It could have been Reno coming in today. What if someone from Shinra sees you? It's not only you that will get killed now Ianthe."

Her face pales suddenly. "Shiva, Rude… you're right. But what can I do? You know the rules, I'm a Honey-Bee now. I cant leave. Besides even if I did want to, I don't have enough money to go anywhere further than the next sector." She's flustered now, and panicking. I decide to try and comfort her. "Ianthe, if you need money-"

"Forget it, I'm not gonna be your charity case. Besides, you heard me! I cant leave. One you're a honey bee you don't own yourself anymore. The Don decides when you can go." A bit like being a Turk… then your life isn't your own. We do what we are told; we have no choice. It's this or death. I touch her arm gently. "I'm not going to abandon you. We'll sort something out."

She shifts uncomfortably from one leg to the other, biting her lip anxiously. "Erm… so what now?" She asks, her unusual eyes wide and innocent-looking. I soon realise what she's talking about. We start talking at the same time- "You don't have to-"

"You paid-"

She laughs. I laugh. This is ridiculous. We're friends. "I can send another girl in if you want" she sighs, smiling all the way. I shake my head. "It'll look odd if you go back out there."

"So what do you want to do?"

I don't need to think for too long. "Wanna spar?"

"Sure!"

Don't ask me how or why, but me and Ianthe got a habit of sparring in our underwear. It's completely asexual, something that came after drinking one too many down the Goblin. I watch her as she strips down to a push-up bra and thong, and I realise it's the first time I've ever seen her in anything feminine. Smiling slightly again, I pull up my boxers and raise my fists.

She throws the first punch right in my stomach, a surprising strong one considering how she's unarmed and all. I throw one back but she dodges effortlessly, grunting strongly wit effort as she whacks me un the arm. I think she would try and hit me in the face but there is no way she could reach it. Her head barely comes to my midriff. I laugh at her as she circles me. I don't stand a chance against her speed, so I decide to cheat. Sticking one leg out I trip her up, sending her hurtling backwards. She his the floor with a thud and an "ooof!" and bursts into noisy laughs. I join in, dragging her to her feet. Between the grunts, groans and giggles, I believe we may have successfully convinced the others in the establishment that everything is normal.


	5. Fire and Ice

4. Ice and Fire

I look out over the harsh cold climate of the north and smile. It is time to see Elena again. I'm strangely excited by the idea, not least because of the fact that she's pretty attractive, but also because I've done a little reading up on her father. He was a guy by the name of Jolyon, possibly one of the most impressive Turks ever to be instated. I hope she shows the same skills…

I step off the chopper and look at my surroundings. The snow is fresh and untouched, the ice is hard and clean… perfect. And in the linen landscape stands a village, and I know in that village holds my Turk to be.

I head up with my guard to the entrance of the quaint little Icicle Inn, the holiday paradise for the avid skier. Today however it will be the setting for day one of the training.

There she stands, her pale skin flushed by the snow, wrapped up in a white coat that smothers her. She looks beautiful. And I hope she's deadly too. Spotting me, she runs towards me, saluting sloppily through her layers. "Sir, its good to see you!"

I smile. "This isn't SOLDIER Elena. You don't need to be so formal."

"Y-yes, Sir- I mean, Rude!" she stutters, obviously embarrassed by her mistake. It does not matter though. Her manners will no doubt get her far.

I put down my bag and raise my fists. She stares at me blankly for a few seconds. "I'm not armed, Rude."

"I want you to improvise." I reply, swinging my first hit. She dodges well, kicking me in the back of the knee so I lose my centre of balance. That is such a girlie trick… She runs off somewhere then, but I'm too disoriented to see where exactly. I wait for a few minutes, not quite knowing what's going on, but raising my guard all the same…. Then I see her. She's grinning evilly, and throwing something in the air.

Iceballs.

I hardly have time t react as she pitches six of them, one by one, each hitting my face exactly. She has very good aim indeed. And now my face is bright red from the impact of the cold ice on my face and the blush which comes from being defeated by a kawaii girl with snowballs.

I quickly recover though, donning my famous emotionless face. "Well done Miss Marshall" I say levelly as she cracks up in front of me. "That concludes this task"

"I thought this wasn't as formal as SOLDIER Rude?"

If she wasn't so beautiful I'd hit her.

***

"This place is real nice. I never thought I'd be able to see it" Elena says warmly as she sips from a hot mug of cocoa. We've retired to the hotel and are now becoming very warm and chocolaty in front of the fire. "I guess you travel a lot when you're a Turk, right?"

How little does she know. There's not a place on this planet I haven't been. North continent, Mideel, undersea, even Round Island once. "That's right"

"Sounds neat"

"It's not that great when you consider what you have to do to get there, Elena."

She doesn't have an answer to that. She knows- her father was the only Turk ever to retire, or so Tseng tells me. He went crazy from all the violence he had to endure. Tseng describes the two sides of Jolyon Marshall well: "One side was a brutal killer, a mad bloodthirsty assassin. The other was a man who loved his wife and daughter more than life itself. Eventually he could not distinguish which was the real him- something I train all of you to know"

I sure know who's the real me. The real me is the one with memories of a beautiful blonde wife with a beautiful brunette boy in her arms, both shot in the head by the man who's now my boss. The real me started for vengeance and turned into a betrayer. But I can live with that because I have to.

"You ok Rude?"

I look at her brown eyes. Maggie had brown eyes…

"I'm fine"

***

The helicopter comes the next morning for me. Elena shoots me a confused look as I board without her. "Find your way back to Midgar then PHS me" I explain. "The last resourcefulness test". She scowls at me and I don't blame her. Icicle Inn is in the middle of nowhere.

The chopper flies away and I look down at her. She's good. Very good.

We landed in Midgar around four hours later, and the first thing I did was hit the Honey Bee Inn. Unfortunately it's business, not pleasure.

"I want to see Ianthe" I tell Felice as she makes a move on me. "The aint no Ianthe here."

Ah, so at least she's under a false name. I go for the next option- the colour of her eyes. "Violet then?"

She looks at me incredulously. "You want Violet over me?" she purrs pressing herself against my body. May God forgive me for this lie…

"Yes. Yes I do."

I hope Ianthe realises how much I'm sacrificing for her. Felice's eyes widen and she laughs incredulously . "Well… whatever floats your boat!" she says before leading me to one of the incredibly gaudy rooms. Damnit! I hate having principles…

Ianthe comes in almost as soon as I've entered. "Jeez Rude! What the hell're ya doin' here!" A nice welcome by her standards. "I'm here to see you."

"No shit! Why?"

"I want you to get outta here. All the executives are back in Midgar, and if any of them catch you here its my neck."

"I told ya Rude! I cant go anywhere! Honey Bees can only leave if they get dismissed or married!"

Silence follows. Ianthe is looking away from me with that really venomous pout she has. Then I do something very, very stupid.

I rip the wedding rings from the chain around my neck and throw them at her.

She looks at me then, her freaky eyes wide and unbelieving. "Rude?" she asks, as though for confirmation. My throat tightens; this really is the only option short of killing the bitch. "Marry me."

"What the fuck?!"

"You heard it Ianthe. Marry me and get out of this place."

"Jeez Rude… I dunno…"

I groan at her stupidity. "Hell woman it's not like it's a real proposal. Just marry me under the name Violet. That way I can get you out of Midgar, provide financial support and give you a new name." I pause for a moment to let this sink in. After all she's not the brightest colour in the box. "Do you understand?"

"Um… yeah."

"So what's your answer."

"Yeah…. I guess."

***

I hit the Chocobo and Mog later that day with Reno. It's been close to a month since we started training our Turks, and from what I'm hearing there's not that much training going on with Suki.

"Damn Rude… you should see her. She's such a great one on one fighter…"

"…………."

"And her gun skills! They freaking kick ass too."

"…………."

Finally he notices I'm not talking. "Hey Rude, what crawled up your ass?"

"I'm getting married."

He looks at me for a second, his bright green eyes unbelieving. He snorts a little laughter, hitting me on the back. "Good one man!"

I throw down my drink. "Her name is Violet, we'll be married in a month or so."

I gotta admit, I find it hard to not laugh as this sinks in for Reno. His mouth is agape, his eyes are wide… eventually he regains himself and stutters out. "um… congrats, man…"

That one moment has almost made it worth it.

__

I apologise for the lateness/crapness of this chapter- exams were beckoning.


	6. Grazing Knees and Climbing Trees

5. Grazing knees and climbing trees.

_---------------------------------------------_

_AN: I'm so sorry this has been so long in coming! I am completely devoted to this story and want to get it told. Had some personal problems combined with computer problems that delayed the next few chapters a few years. I hope you enjoy. It's getting a lot darker and more violent from here on in._

_------------------------------------------------_

The cold air of Midgar always seems colder when you're training someone to kill. Elena is here, fresh from Icicle Inn. She arrived back less than two hours ago after stealing a rare blue chocobo from a guy in the mountains. Damn it, she's beyond resourceful. She's a genius. Her eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep, and her skin is red-raw from the cold, but she's still determined; her brown eyes spark with intensity. It's fucking beautiful.

We're out on business. Drug run. Midgar is fucked up as always. I fasten my light gloves- this is going to be messy, and painful, but I don't give a shit. I'm just following orders. Get the stash, kill or torture the owners. Elena fastens her materia. She should learn to fight, the streets are no place for magic.

"You ready?" I say to her, smiling slightly. The adrenaline is starting now. I can feel the very tips of my fingers tingle, and my breath comes faster, heating my reddened lips. She simply nods unconvincingly. Adrenaline is hitting her too, though differently, making her shudder and quake with fear. My mind wanders for a second, imagines her under me, shuddering with that same intensity… I can't help it. Still, after all these years, killing bums turns me on.

I can see them. Three of them, all male, making their way across sector 5 . They look so shifty, they're just asking to get caught. I nod to Elena and we split. Pincer movement.

I follow them down the back door, she the front, of an old beaten warehouse. Such a cliché setting, but I don't give a damn. I can smell them. Whiskey, cigarettes and sweat, it's all so close in here. One of them is talking to the ones in front, bragging about how easily they got away with this. What fools.

Elena surprises me by coming out first, her eyes blazing as she casts Ice3-all on the men, freezing them enough for me to punch the fuck out of them. The ice shards, sticking in to flesh and the familiar smell of blood and urine fills the air. Pissing themselves with fear of us. I stamp on one with my metal heel whilst he's down; his head gives a satisfying crunch as his scull cracks open like an egg, leaving him twitching on the floor under my boot. Then I grab the next, punching him over and over, watching the blood run into his eyes, blinding him. I let him go, but he is too far gone to do me damage. I'll let him bleed to death. Then the third. This guy's the smart one, I can tell. He's armed, a long knife, and is grinning at me, crooked yellow teeth and all. We hold our gaze for a moment. Then he lunges- but every son of a bitch knows you don't lunge at a Turk. He doesn't even scratch me; I grab his arm and pull him under, breaking his arm- crack! Once at the wrist. Crack! Again at the elbow and as a finale, crack! At the shoulder joint, letting him fall to the floor in pain. I grab his knife before he does, and I slash at him, feeling his blood splatter on my hands as I cut progressively deeper. Then he stops thrashing, and all is silent except for the quiet gurgles of a dying man. All is still. I pick up the reddened package and weigh it in my hands. A priceless amount of blow. A job well done… but something doesn't seem right.

Then I see her.

Elena is frozen, her breath now starting again erratically like she's having a heart attack. Her brown eyes are wide and brimming with tears as she backs away on to the bloodstained wall. Then it gets really scary. The erratic breathing turns into laboured gasps for air, and as she wheezes her body tenses and convulses like she's having a fit. She's breaking down. I have to stop her.

I tear the materia band from her wrist and hold it tight. She has Sleep, thank fuck. I cast it and watch her slump to the ground like a rag doll. Carefully, so as not to jolt her, I put her over my shoulder.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"…Rude…"

She's waking up at last. I've put her in my bed- hardly fit for a lady, but it will do. The room is scented with lavender oils to help her relax. I guess I forgot how much of a shock death can be for a newbie.

"I'm right here Elena." I'm surprised at how sweet my voice appears as it comes out of my mouth. All honey and cream.

"What… what happened…"

"You started hyperventilating. I guess I forgot the shock of seeing violent death when you're not used to it." But I remember what it's like now.

The room stank. They must have been dread for hours. I noticed Tatiana first; it was hard not to. She was torn, as if mauled by a beast not a gun. There was blood everywhere, but all I could concentrate on was the blood on her skirts. The blood from the rape… then I saw my wife. My wife, my old true wife and love, the only woman Rudolph will ever love, still flawless except for a long line of red down her face. I touched her, held on to her and only then did I see the burst of the bullet from out of the back of her head. And my little boy, my blood, my legacy… I regret now that I did not find out how he had died. I was so shocked, disgusted that they could kill all these innocents who had never harmed them, I was numb, I couldn't remember anything-

"Rude? Did we do it?"

I snap back to this cold reality. "We got the blow Elena. You did a good job."

She snorts. "Yeah, bet I was really useful out there, corpsing like that."

"I won't hear it. That was a tough thing to do, walking in there. You kept your cool for longer than most would. You did good."

She's still sceptical, I can tell. Her eyes glaze as she looks at the bed sheets, obviously in deep criticism of herself. So I do something uncharacteristic. I sit next to her, and oh so softly take her small hand in my grasp. I'm going to give a pep talk.

"Think of today like climbing a tree," I start, only realising now that she might never have seen one. "Or a mast, or whatever, but climbing something you really want to get to the top of. So what if you fall and graze yourself the first time. It just makes you more aware of what to do the next time."

Even I'm surprised at how wanky that sounds. But she's lapping it up, all smiles as her thumb gently strokes me, so softly and sensually that I almost lose myself. I need my post kill drink.

I stand and go to leave the room, but am halted by her voice.

"Rude?"

I turn back, and see her smiling, the familiar sparkle back in her eyes.

"Thank you for looking after me."

I smile, then stop myself. Cooly I slip back in to my role. "Don't get used to it. A Turk can trust and rely only on himself."

There is only Rude, silent, brooding Rude left now. Rudolph Molotov is dead.


	7. What's my Line?

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_AN: Again, apologies for the delay. Computer crashed, had to write this all over again!_

-------------------------------------------------------------------

6. What's my line?

"Meet me here at 08.00 hours to go over the development of stage two of the training." That's what Tseng had said to us, but I know I have time. Reno has never been known for his punctuality.

I move easily through the Shinra employees. They cower only at my size- they don't even know who I am. They're just your regular Joe's and Josephine's, trying to make the only think anywhere near an honest buck in this god forsaken city. They think I'm some sort of bodyguard. You know what, maybe I am. I've just never tried to label myself. Turk labels it well enough.

I get in the elevator and press up. I'm going far, far up. Got to talk to a superior. I hate to admit it, but I have a begrudging respect for this particular head of department. There's something to be said about a woman who's clawed, kicked and scratched her way as far as she can go in a patriarchal company. And with an I.Q pushing one-sixty and curves you could rest your beer on, she's got a lot going for her, despite the general rumours that fluctuate. I mean, the main reasons for those rumours is fear. Grown men are intimidated by her smarts and terrified of her knowledge of them. They all say they'd never touch her with a barge pole, but they have, all of them. Even me. And she knows their fetishes and faults like the back of her perfectly smooth, red-nailed hand. That where her true power lies. She has all of us under her thumb.

I walk forward towards her office, and my heart's beating like a schoolboy's. I haven't seen her for a while. Strangely, I always forget what she looks like when I'm away from her. It's not necessarily a bad thing though. Always makes me amazed when I see her ass.

I'm about to knock, but then I hear something, something feint behind the door. I lean in slightly. I am not nosey, not in the slightest, but you just don't know what the fuck you could be walking in to in Shinra. I pause about an inch from the door and listen closely.

_SPANK._

My head knows what it is, but my gut's begging me to tell it it's not true for fear of throwing up. But the spanking continues, and I can hear a male voice moan with every spank. My stomach's losing its battle, but I press the intercom anyway and say strongly "Scarlet? It's Rude here, I need to ask you some questions."

She laughs abrasively ("Kyaa haa haa!"), and replies with "Why, dear Rudolph, you sound like you want to interrogate me!"

"Tell him to fuck off," I hear the Vice-President purr languidly. It doesn't surprise me that he's the mystery man. I always knew that kid was one sick bastard. Scarlet giggles, humouring him like a predator with its prey. "I'm not going to do that… _sir._"

Oh, she's clever. Using imperative lexis with terms of formality to instruct him without offending. Clever girl. Clever, unbelievably sexy girl…

I can hear her moving as she stands. She's pressing the code on her lock. I can hear the confirmation beeps. My heart's beating like a drum solo. Three more little beeps and the door swings open, revealing Venus.

It's her eyes you notice first. Fierce, shocking blue, cold as ice, deadly as a viper. Then her lips. Plump, red and inviting. She smiles at me, a smile reminiscent of a big cat before it pounces. I choke on my breath. I can hear Rufus laughing, but its so far in the background it doesn't matter.

"Rufus, don't tease," she says huskily, but her eyes never leave me. "Me and Rude have some business to discuss, isn't that right Rude?"

"Yes ma'am," I reply. My voice is so deep I wonder if she even heard me say it. And lo, much to my surprise, Rufus gets up, picks up his belongings and saunters over to us, kissing his father's favourite girl tenderly and longingly on the cheek. It's a beautiful sight, it truly is. What love these children have for their "step-parents". Her eyes finally flit from me to him, and I feel like I've been set free of a Siren's grasp. Rufus kisses her once more on the lips, more lovingly than I've ever seen any kiss delivered, and then steps behind me, gently pushing me in to her office as he leaves. The door's barely clicked shut behind me and my mouth is clamped on hers, kissing her like my life depended on it.

I don't know why she does this to me. I don't know why I feel the need to kiss her like this, run my hands over each ripe curve and claw at her like some animal possessed, but I do. And I am. I push her towards her desk, and she pulls away slightly.

"Rude, you had something to ask me?"

"Mmmph."

"Honey, get your head out of my chest and back in to business." She tugs me back by my ear. I've been shot twenty three times, electrocuted nineteen times and stabbed forty two, but that's still the most painful sensation in the world.

"ARGH, all right, for the love of-"

"Rude, I'm a busy woman, and if I fucked every guy that came through those doors I'd never get anything done. Now why don't you ask me what you want to ask." The sweet, soft tones have disappeared from her voice, and the ol' executive is back in the building. Sighing, I get to my point.

"Elena Marshall," I start, straightening myself out as I stand. "I've been assigned her for training."

"Good for you, she's a great girl. Though if you fuck her I'll rip your balls off with my own nails. She doesn't need the likes of you smelling out her apartment."

I pause for a moment, digesting that mental image. Knowing Scarlet like I do, she's not kidding. "I want to know more about her."

"Buy her dinner."

"No, I want to know things that she'd only tell a friend. Only tell a female friend," I clarify. Scarlet knows the kind of stuff I want to hear.

"She's scared of failure. It makes her devoted, if not a little bit too involved. She'll never let a mistake go," Scarlet begins. This is good. Fears, hopes, dreams… all little things she'd discuss with her girlfriends, and all rather big things when it comes to dealing with your Turk-dom. You need to use your fear and built on it- if we're not afraid, we're not alert, and if we're not alert, then we're dead.

"What about her father?" I ask. "Any lingering thoughts on that?"

Scarlet smiles wryly. "Now she's got Tseng to idolise, I think those thoughts are gone. If you ask me, her crush on Tseng is a reaction to the abandonment she suffered at the hands of her father. If she proves herself to Tseng, she'll be proving herself to Jolyon."

"That's fucked up."

"Aint it just. She'll fit in with you psychos well."

I frown at her, though I don't think she notices through my glasses. She simply smiles like the cat who's got the cream and pulls me in for a slow, lingering kiss. I melt. I could stay here forever. Maybe that's her plan. Maybe she's a succubus who wants to trap men in her office to starve.

"Come on Rude, it's time you were off. I've no doubt you'll have your hands full with Elena."

It's not Elena I have my hands full with. I haven't been to see Ianthe in about a month, and I was in no rush to. "Ok, Scarlet, I'm leaving." I say, pulling myself together and walking to the door. I'm just about to leave when I hear her voice.

"Oh, and Rude?"

I turn back. "Yeah?"

She smiles and eyes me up from head to foot. "Drop by later. I could use a helping hand around the house."

Hot damn, yes ma'am.


	8. Happy Birthday Mr Vice President

Happy Birthday Mr President

_Sorry this is so incredibly late. I hope I still have people who give a crap. I got myself a real writing job you see. Takes up a lot of time. But this story, even though it's now AU thanks to the onslaught of FF7 media, is still a joy. This chapter is dedicated to Sitara Lukyan._

Today is Rufus' Birthday. Today is the day I hate more than anything else, because rather than doing anything constructive like killing people to numb my soul the way I signed up to, I have to attend a birthday party.

Now I say birthday party, but this isn't getting drunk with friends over a game of poker. This is business. This is making sure Rufus doesn't kill himself on one of his drugs fueled rampages. I'm on guard. Reno's here too. And Tseng is there at the helm, eying every damn move the kid makes. Reno's watching pretty closely too, but I bet you anything that's because of the pretty young things Rufus has draped over him.

You see, despite everything, I can't hate Rufus. Sure, he's a fucked-up little step-mommy's boy who fucks every thing he can fuck and fucks over everything he can't, but he is what he is because that's all he's really allowed to be. And the kid ain't dumb. No way. I watch him now, snorting something out of some 'bee's inner-thigh, and suddenly he catches my eye. He smiles at me. It's a smile of a man who knows what he's doing. Who knows what he's playing. There's more going on there than we know, and it's certainly more than I care to think about.

"Troubled mind there, stranger?"

I turn to see those sharp, cold eyes that I adore. My one regular fuck.

"No more trouble than usual, Felice."

"Oh, too bad. You tend to fuck for longer when you're pissed."

Any other mug would think that was sexual appetite, but I know Felice is only in it for the money. And you know what, that's exactly what I like about her.

"I feel bad about the other day. With Violet."

"With who? Oh, forget it. That kid needed some sort of income. Just never had you as a white knight or anything."

"I'll make it up to you." I reach into my pocket for a money clip, but she cuts me off.

"Help me get on Rufus' good side and I wont ask anything else from you. I know you're busy."

I frown at her. "I'm not sure you want to go there." Foolish as it might sound, I have an affection for her. I've treated her well over the years, and I'm not about to hand her over to that sick-

"Look, the kid's nothing I can't handle," she says wearily, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. "Ever wonder what sort of clientèle we get when you boys are out of the picture? We can handle ourselves. Even Amora."

Felice can handle herself I know, but Amora... I look over to her. I couldn't believe she could hurt a fly. Little dainty Amora is sitting there with a teeny-tiny glass in her hand, sucking on her straw, her legs slightly parted...

Maybe she's craftier than I thought.

I look for Deanna. Surely she wouldn't want a part of this scam... but sure enough, she's over there with Rufus already, on the outskirts, tousling her bleach-blonde hair and sitting astride Rufus's chair like a tigress waiting to pounce. They're cats. They're all vicious, sexy, damn-ruthless cats.

"Ok." I whisper to Felice, and she kisses me chastely on the cheek. There's no joy for me tonight. She doesn't want Rufus to think she's anything but his. She nods at Deanna, who moves away and alerts Amora. They gather, and they watch me. The pack is waiting.

I walk over to Rufus slowly, trying to think how to put this. He could have any girl he wants tonight. Why would he want those three? They're gorgeous, no doubt, but in the end they're 'bees and there's real prizes here- the virginal daughter of the Mayor is here, and she's surprisingly quite the looker. Imagine the mayor's reactionif Rufus gets to defile her in every way he can, with her consent... that would be a victory.

"Sir?"

He looks up at me languidly, high on so many things I'm surprised he's still functioning. I better make this good.

"Sir, I was wondering-"

"Rude, I need to speak to you," he sighs, standing with only the faintest sign of difficulty. "Lets go somewhere quieter, shall we?"

I nod dumbly. Could it really be this easy? I doubt it. My throat goes dry. When Rufus has asked me for a favour it's generally not good... The girls watch me intently as I go past. I nod at them. Don't want them to realise I might not be coming back.

He takes me up some stairs and leads me out onto the balcony. He's going to push me off, I know it. He'll say I attacked him and he did it in self-defense. I feel in my pocket for my gun. I don't know why. It's not like I could use it.

"Lovely night, isn't it?"

I nod. He's standing by the railings, a strange smile on his face. He takes one big inhalation. He grins and slowly breathes out.

"Life is pretty amazing, don't you think? So many little events, so many coincidences."

"Yes sir."

"Like the other day. I was just edging my way through the slums and ended up at our favourite little establishment. None of the quality girls were in at that time though. Not like the lovely creatures we have tonight."

Maybe there's some hope for the girls after all. I open my mouth to speak and then-

"- And you know, the darndest thing happened. They did a line, you know, when they line up all the girls for you to see. Nothing special, not looks wise anyway..."

I feel my heart hit my stomach. Hard.

"Funny thing when people come back from the dead, isn't it Rude?"

I don't know what to say. I'm amazed he remembers her. But then I remember. Reno used to say Rufus had a 'thing' for Ianthe, though I wouldn't believe that for a second. But she used to say he creeped her out. "It was like... I dunno... he'd look at me like a dog looks at a bone." she used to tell me. Hell, maybe he did have a thing for her. Maybe he just liked the fact that she's a freak. Freak attracted to freak.

I realise I haven't said anything. He's grinning at me now.

"Everything ok, Rude? At work? At home? Nothing you want to tell me?"

"... ... ..."

My throat is stuck. I can't say a thing. Silence was my strength, but now it could end everything.

"We all have secrets, Rude."

I can't breathe. He's so ambiguous. What does that even mean?

"She could tell you things. Maybe she already has. I should kill you just to be sure. You, and her. I could do it easily. But for some reason I don't want to."

_He doesn't want to_. Why...

"Why, you ask?" he says with a little tinkering laugh. "You're a solid man Rude. You're good to have on side. And you know true loyalty to the people you like and who like you. I like you Rude. I hope we can be friends."

"Yes, sir."

I find something. Not much, but a little something. He's blackmailing me, but I don't understand why. Maybe he just needs someone he knows will work for him. Maybe I'll be disposing the dead bodies of hookers. Maybe even the ones who are my dearest friends.

"I'm glad we've had this talk," he exclaims, leading me back towards the stairs and the party. "Now, tell me about that lovely 'bee you were talking to. She seems delightful. And her little friends..."

I don't know what I'm telling him, but I sell their meat well. As soon as we hit the room he goes straight for them, and they start to consume their prize.

I need to call her.

As much as I wish I was focusing on Elena, I know at this moment what I have to do. I frantically search for my PHS and dial the number. I might be hidden out of sight in my apartment, but I don't trust Rufus not to have bugged me.

"Violet here. Calls are ten gil per minute for the first-"

"Ianthe, you have to tell me something."

"Oh, hey Carol! Jeez, it's been a while, ol' Fiancée!"

"Ianthe, listen to me. Tell me-"

"Jeez, what's wrong, you sound tense!"

I pause. I breathe. Or at least I try to. Sometimes I wish I'd shot her.

"Ianthe, what did you steal from Shinra?"

A pause.

"Ianthe, tell me. Now."

"I told you, I never stole-"

"We don't have time for this. What was it?"

Another pause. I hear her breathing, trying to find the words. Oh, what did you do...

"A briefcase."

I can barely contain my anger. Briefcases are only taken around Shinra with very sensitive material, and that would mean...

"But I didn't steal it! Someone left it there and I only opened it to see who it belonged to-"

Must be Rufus. Damn her stupidity.

"But it didn't have a name. Only-"

She stops. There must be more. "Only what, Ianthe? What did it say."

I can't bear her silence, but I think I know what she is about to say. And true enough, she says it.

"AVALANCHE."


	9. Say It's Forever

8. Say it's forever

I'm fucking exhausted. Ianthe decided after I'd killed the god damned fat cleric that married us that she didn't want to bury in in a shallow grave. Something about it seemed disrespectful to her- and killing him in cold blood to make sure he didn't talk was fine then, was it? That's woman logic for you. So we spent the afternoon giving him a proper funeral, the whole six-foot shebang, and now I'm sweaty, dirty and I smell like day-old dead fat man. Ianthe's not faring much better. She's covered in grimy shit, and she's a strange mix of deathly pale skin and red flushed cheeks. That's what you get when you're a smoker with one lung lifting a man at least four times your body weight.

I kept thinking about what Rufus said. Hell, I _keep_ thinking about what he said. And what Ianthe told me. Rufus obviously wants me on side when the shit hits the fan. Ianthe finally told me all she knows- those papers were accounts, money leaking form Shinra into AVALANCHE... a company funding a group to destroy itself? Must have been the work of an ambitious young vice-pres. So he's keeping me close to check on me, and I've got to keep the girl close to to check on her. I wonder when all this is going to explode. When, and who it will destroy. Tseng will be loyal to Rufus, I'm sure, but what about Reno... and Elle... I can't think about that now. I'm on holiday, Rufus's orders. A little wedding-cum-honeymoon.

It was hard to find somewhere for us to go- Kalm is too close to Midgar, Junon is our military capital, so that was out… Neibelheim is Hojo's playground, there's always some executive vacationing in Costa, Icicle inn or Wutai, and Rocket Town is built for engineers who'd sell any secret to get back in with Shinra. There was only one place I could think of.

Not many people know Mideel exists, to be honest. It's just one of those really small towns so far away from everybody that the inhabitants don't even know about us men in navy-black. The people are friendly and don't ask where you come from, they just let you get on with your business. I like that a lot. The room we've got is nice enough- a double bed, a table, a wash basin and a chair, nothing fancy, but all that we could need. I look down at Ianthe as I take off my blood-soaked jacket. She's collapsed on the bed, eyes shut with a cigarette in her mouth, lazily taking puffs every so often.

"You know, for someone who doesn't want to die, you don't do your lungs- I'm sorry, _lung_ a lot of good by smoking those cancer sticks."

"Fuck off Rude," she mumbles through the side of her mouth, exhaling smoke from her nose as she does. "Jeez, I'm allowed my vices."

"And drinking, gambling and idiotic tendencies don't count then, do they?"

She peers at me through the corner of one eye. "You can hardly call me on the drinking thing now can ya? You drink twice as much"

"But I'm three times the size. Honestly, it makes me wonder why I've bothered."

I think I touched a nerve. She plucks the cigarette from her mouth and puts in out on the side table. "You don't mean that, right?" she asks me, her brow furrowed with concern. I laugh at her and roll her over to make space to lie down. "You really need to fucking ask?" I say, making myself comfortable on the bed. It's a nice feather mattress, and I'm looking forward to getting a good night's sleep…

"Yes."

That one little word jolts me out of my tiredness. She's turned away from me, curled up like a scared kitten. I look over at her sternly. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"…nothin'."

Shit. She says nothing in that age old female way, which means "You've fucked up big and I'm not helping you out one bit." I roll over so I'm facing the back of her and prod further. "Ianthe, what's wrong?"

"I'm just being dumb-"

"You're crap at being discreet and secretive, Inth, so why don't you just tell me what's up then we can get some sleep."

There's a sort of snuffly sound, and then she finally pipes up.

"Did… did you really mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"That you don't think you should have bothered… I mean, I know I'm stupid and everything but I.."

She doesn't say anymore, and it takes me a few seconds to register that she's crying. Pretty badly. I'm not quite sure what to do; I've never seen her cry like this before. I kind of go by instinct and wrap and arm round her. I'm a crap comforter. "Ssh… don't be such a dumb… I mean, of course I don't think that. I wouldn't have done it in the first place if I hadn't wanted to."

"But I've caused you so much trouble-"

"Hell, no more than Reno has," I quip, though my heart's not in it. She's right. She's caused me hell. I've barely been sleeping, thinking about the shit I'd get in to if she was found to be alive, thinking about the torturous punishments I've inflicted on other traitors, and the humiliation of Reno or Tseng doing it to me, and now I know the full picture I'm in over my head and there's no escape. All because I let her fuck me up in the head. I wonder why I did it in the first place. Why I let her go. It makes no sense to me.

She's turned over in my arms and is now on her back, looking up at me. She's not crying so much now… her face is just wet with tears and her nose is snotty. She smiles at me. "Take your glasses off."

I don't think twice about it. She's seen my eyes before. She knows why I keep them hidden- they're soft eyes, hazel coloured and quite deep set. They look pathetic. I think of Tseng's steely gaze and Reno's shocking, wild look- they inspire fear. I look like a puppy that's lost in the garbage. She smiles at me weakly. Her eyes gaze into mine, shocking purple, the colour of chocobo lures. Then without a warning she bolts up and kisses me. Hard.

I pull away immediately. I mean, what the fuck is she playing at? She's Ianthe, I'm Rude… and she's kissing me again, even harder this time, if that's possible. I close my eyes. Well, it's only polite, and at least it means I don't have to look at her. My mouth is filled with the stale taste of smoke with whiskey undertones. She's drunk. She's got to be drunk, she'd never have the balls to do this sober.

I'm trying not to respond, not to encourage, but she's climbing on top of me. I could fling her off, but what would that achieve? She'd just start crying again.

Now her hand are joining in. Shit, I shouldn't encourage her. This is going to be hell come morning. But I feel myself relax as she unbuttons my shirt, and I realise to my shame that I'm enjoying this. Not her, not being here with her, but the lust and need she has for me. It's nice to be needed sometimes...

She wont relinquish the kiss, even as she removes all my clothes. She's still fully clothed. I guess she's waiting for me to help her out with that.

I wish I was strong enough to say no. I wish I could just stop, tell her I don't really want her, but instead I've broken the kiss to lift her t-shirt over her head, exposing her fragile body. Shit, it makes me want to cry. A long, ugly straight scar runs down her chest. I've never looked at it like this before. It's not white, like most scars, but still quite red, as if her skinny ribs are going to burst straight through. It separates her in two, both sides mottled by freckles, the large kind that dominate the skin's colouring. As if I have no control over my body, my eyes seek out the largest freckle and my mouth moves and kisses it. Her arms wrap around me and I know there's no escaping this.

I let my mind wander… who to think of as she moves on me. Maggie… no, no that's far to painful, it would be sacrilegious to think of how perfect that love was whilst I fuck a cheap ex-hooker… Tifa? My imagination would never stretch that far- this tiny, scrawny bag of bones is no match for the curves of that goddess…

Elena.

If I concentrate, it could be. A slim body, short hair that tangles in my fingers as I grip it hard… she moans sweetly. I'd never have thought Ianthe would moan sweetly, but it fits my image of Elena so perfectly. I fight to preserve that image, keeping it going keeping the idea of the intense brown eyes… those rich brown eyes…

I actually don't even know how long I've lasted as she collapses down on me. It seemed like hours, but who know, it could have been mere minutes. She nuzzles in to my shoulder, and I get a distinct sick feeling in my gut. I've got to try not to think, try to just sleep…

This is going to be hell come morning.

So, now it's morning. And this is hell.

I only woke about a minute ago, and my head hurts. And she's draped over me, tiny body shivering in the cold. Her little hands cling to me. I feel sick. Physically sick. Et I still don't want to wake her. I'm just lying here, still as a rock, 'cause I know the moment she wakes up it's going to be the worst moment of my-

She's stirring. A little squeak as she stretches out over me and holds me even tighter, and then she looks up at me. Big bold eyes. And a smile. I haven't seen her smile like this in the whole time I've known her. She looks happy. Really happy. That kind of happy that's deep deep down in your soul, the one that infects your whole body.

"Ianthe-"

"Please don't say anything." She clings to me harder.

"Inth-"

"Gimmie five minutes, please Rude?"

I assume she means rest, but then I look in her eyes again. The happiness is all gone, and back in its place is that dogged, old sadness. She knows. But I'll indulge her, just this one last time.

I sweep her to my chest and just hold her. She's light on my chest, moving with my breath. In this moment, only this moment, I love her and she loves me and we're a happy, newly-wed couple. Five minutes pass. I time them exactly in my head.

"Ianthe, I'm sending you out of Midgar. Just to Junon for now, but to Lower Junon, so you keep out of everybody's way, ok?"

"Ok."

"I want to keep you safe."

"I know."

That's all I say, and for once she's quiet. Silently I roll her onto her back and get up, starting to dress. She doesn't move. Her eyes glaze. I say nothing.


End file.
